Maximillian "Paladin" Farsworth Ducard
Appearance :Max was always on the thinner end, but after training with the Founders, Max's figure has been honed to that of a neat and primed fighting machine. He has solid, slim, and heavily-toned muscles from head to toe. Max's eyes are naturally steel gray, but they change color due to his light-manipulating abilities. He can even change this color manually. Street Clothes :On a typical day, Max sports a black and crimson leather sports jacket with black denim jeans, black steel-toed boots, an olive green t-shirt, a simple silver dogtag, and a black choker studded with crimson rhinestones. Uniform :Max doesn't really have anything approaching a "super suit" beyond the utility belt he has begun to wear ever since his training with the Founders. Instead, because of his body's constant interaction with light radiation around him, his clothing changes to become the color of pure snow, his skin becomes a dark brown, and his eyes turn a golden-yellow. He can alter the color of his clothes or his eyes by affecting the wavelengths of light that are absorbed or reflected by the clothing's material. Notable Equipment :Due to the necessity for discretion, Max has hooked up his Titan communicator to a device that looks like a smartphone, allowing him to answer calls on the "phone." Communicator :Max's communicator carries a variety of security-locked information that can only be viewed when connected to a verified Titan terminal with a supported operating system (OS) installed. The communicator then requests a password (which is the first name of one of Max's former teammates, Clara). The user must also be a registered Titan in order to pass a voice authentication check.Calling All Titans, Posts #114-117 :The communicator contains a single folder titled "Why I Still Fight." This folder contains photos and videos of the former Titans North team, especially of Clara. It also contains the security feed from the North Tower the day it was destroyed, as well as a video of Max and Beastgirl's first encounter. It is set to play both videos and then turn off the communicator connection automatically. Personality :Max's codename, Paladin, is a perfect fit for the unbelievably gentle-hearted Titan. He constantly puts the needs of others before himself. Max is a very kind individual, one who values hard work and effort. He's also incredibly generous, sometimes to a fault; there have been many a time where large anonymous expenditures were logged on the Titan's finance accounts only to be linked back to spontaneous donations which are soon compensated by his own family's copious amounts of money. :Max's disdain for high class society and the super-rich have led him to become a class A prankster, often using his capacity with light to create illusions that lure the enemy into humorous traps. Still, his tricks, while embarrassing, are never truly harmful, as he knows that it's more important that people be safe than to get a cheap laugh. :In combat, the normally-talkative Max gets a silent streak and his features lack any sort of empathy or tell. He understands exactly how even the smallest sign can communicate one's plan of attack. Powers and Abilities Light Manipulation :Max's physical structure resonates with light radiation to a subatomic level. He can disassemble his body on a subatomic level and travel along light waves. He can use this to transport himself to any location at the speed of light and reassemble his physical structure. :He can also manipulate light waves in various manners, such as bending light waves around himself or other people and objects within a ten meter radius to camouflage them (essentially making them invisible), change how materials and objects he's in physical contact with reflect or absorb light, and even use light for making illusions and focused beams of energy. :An ability with less combat application that Max also frequently employs is changing the color of his eyes. For many years, Max's emotions dictated the color of his eyes at any given moment--a walking mood ring, to his chagrin. However, more recently, Max has discovered the key to controlling his eye color to conceal his emotions. Eye Color :Max has been referred to as "the human mood ring," because his eyes automatically change color based on his current mood, unless he consciously conceals his eye color-change. The colors and corresponding moods are as follows: * Purple - Sadness, grief, anguish, pain * Gold - * Blue - Weaknesses :Max's greatest weakness is complete darkness. His powers are completely nullified in complete darkness, and the extent to which he can use his powers depends heavily on the amount of light available. Also, while he can invisibly teleport by dispersing his subatomic particles over a larger area, he can only cause damage by condensing his physical form into a single swarming cloud, where the condensed light (at higher levels of control) can cause severe burns. This method of transportation/attack makes Max visible and thus easier to track. He cannot otherwise attack his opponent while his body is diffused into light. Other Abilities :Max has high-low light vision and can phase through light-permeable substances. :Max is very skilled with technology, having modified his Titan Communicator's programming, enabling him to find a safer way to communicate with known active Titans."Calling All Titans, Post #2 :As a Titan, Max underwent basic physical training to teach him to absorb some damage from physical strikes. However, more recently, he requested far more intense training from the Titan Founders themselves. After enduring physical and mental exercises, Max gained more control over his powers and a new skill in obfuscation. He also improved his hand-to-hand combat and weapon proficiency. Relationships Doctor Logan :Max feels he has to tiptoe around his girlfriend's father, especially considering how powerful the man is in the field of science. Parents :Max's parents were rarely around to take care of him, even when he was a child. He still remembers a time when his parents had been gone for three months, only to vanish on yet another "business emergency." They left him alone for three more weeks with nothing but a note that "the fridge was stocked for his convenience."Calling All Titans, Post #98 :Even so, Max had once thought great things of his parents... until that image was shattered at the age of fifteen. That was the day his father sent a begging teenage girl into a coma while his mother watched, laughing. He has despised them ever since. :The fact that his parents are outspoken financiers of the Brotherhood, his sworn enemies, has not helped his relationship with them. In fact, Max sees his parents as nothing more than "gluttonous, unashamed parasites"; so it's little wonder he gets no small pleasure in stealing funds from their bank accounts to funnel funds into Titan coffers and Titan expenditures. Delilah :Max has a sister named Delilah who he seemed to be much closer to, but Delilah has been missing for years, and he rarely speaks about her. Vincent :Max has an unwitting rivalry with his brother, Vincent Ducard, who Max does not currently even know exists. However, Vincent is not only a current Brotherhood agent and openly hostile toward Max; he also played a key part in the torture of Max's girlfriend, Laura "Beastgirl" Logan. The Founders :Beast Boy originally was not a fan of Max after having seen Max hitting on his little cousin, Laura. However, after Beast Boy sent Max to the infirmary with one punch, Beast Boy lightened up. Now all five Founders view Max as not just a teammate, but also a little brother, as evidenced by their willingness to set aside their busy schedules to help train him. This relationship was called into question later, however, when Max's parentage was revealed. Nightwing was forced to enlist the help of Dante to interrogate Max on his actions at the beginning of the Brotherhood rise to power. Max was cleared of any real guilt after the interrogation, but he is still kept under cautious, professional scrutiny, even though the Founders would like to hope that they have nothing to fear from their former pupil. Katie Andrews :Max sees a good bit of Katie, considering Katie is his girlfriend's roommate in the Secret Titan Headquarters and also her self-proclaimed bestest-best-friend. Despite Katie's rough-around-the-edges demeanor, Max is quite concerned for her well-being, especially lately since whenever he's been around her, she clearly has not been her usual cheery self. It concerns him even more that Katie is not willing to share the burden of her problems with him. Klay Forrest :Klay, the more protective of Laura's twin "brothers from another mother," has only given Max a minor hassle now and then for dating his near-adopted baby sister. Klay seems to be approving of Max, and even went out of his way to contact Max when Laura was having a hard time. Laura "Beastgirl" Logan :Max is currently dating the lovable and irrepressible Changeling, cousin of Garfield "Beast Boy" Logan. Nina Petrie :Max and Nina were once friends and towermates, two of the only survivors of the North Tower. As such, they share a special bond. Max is fully aware of the struggle Nina faces in trying to control her powers and seeks to help her cope, but Nina continues to push him away, just like many others she comes into contact with. Jewel :Though she may or may not remember him, Max is eternally grateful to Jewel, as she not only sparked his life-changing superpowers, but also gave him the impetus to join the Teen Titans... and granted him the opportunity to see his parents for the monsters they truly are. He regularly visits her in the hospital. History Backstory ---- :Maximillian was born to the life of high society to Francis and Marissa Ducard. For a good portion of his childhood, Maximillian lived a very privileged and uneventful life. Being homeschooled by some of the finest tutors he could buy, Max excelled in his educational and martial studies. The city he lived in, however, was a prime demonstration of the gap between the super rich and the super poor, something that he himself didn't come to realize for quite some time. What's more, this realization came in a bit of a troubling manner. :Out in Grimoire's downtown one evening, fifteen-year-old Max and his parents were on the town, having just enjoyed a theatre performance. From one of the street corners, a young girl around his age approached the trio in ripped and shaggy clothing, asking for naught more but a small parcel with which she could buy food. Max, thinking the best of his parents, was about ready to pull out his wallet. :Instead, his father stepped forward and kicked the girl to the ground before stomping on her repeatedly, his mother laughing at the spectacle. For a short while, all that Max could do was stand shocked, jaw agape at the pristine vision of his parents in his mind being shattered and ground into dust. It was this shock, this desire to depart himself from everything horrid about that moment that awakened his latent ability. Stepping forward, Max exploded in a burst of light that took both him and the young girl to the nearest hospital, and he passed out shortly afterwards. :Max woke up in that same hospital on a couch next to the girl's bed. Her weakened state and his father's attacks had caused her to fall into a coma. Taking her from the hospital, he teleported to the outskirts of town with the teenage girl's form in her arms and left the city behind. Max headed for the fabled Titan's Tower West, in hopes of finding a way to undo the horrid division between social classes that his own parents relished in. The girl was placed in another hospital in the city, and Max now serves as a new member of the Teen Titans. On his off days, he still visits Jewel, who motivated him onto his current life course. Fall of the North Tower ---- :The Brotherhood assault on the North Tower caught everyone by surprise, but Clara was with her team of the Top Five to stop them by the time the villains reach the second floor of the tower. However, the Brotherhood began to hammer them with heavy artillery fire and heavily-armored Brotherhood infantry reinforcements. The Titans, even the Top Five, became overwhelmed and were forced to continually retreat. :Despite continuing to lose ground, Max was always the last Titan to pull back. He often dove straight into the flames that were raging around them to attempt to pull his injured comrades from the flames, but the Brotherhood Mechs prevented him from doing so. Had it not been for his captain, Don, Max likely would have also died in the Tower. :The Top Five--the only survivors besides one girl who had been taken captive--were eventually driven back until they were forced to hole up in the last room left--the Command Center, on the topmost floor of the tower. :Clara was keeping the Brotherhood at bay while the others attempted to tell Max to run and warn the other towers. Don in particular noted that Max was the only one fast enough to have a chance of escaping. But while Max protested, Clara came up from behind. Through her tears, she reassured him that he had a place here among them, that they'd be all right, and that he was going to rescue them all. :It was the last thing he heard from her as she shoved him through the ventilation shaft, toward safety. The next thing he knew, the Command Center was engulfed in an explosion as the Brotherhood broke through Clara's barrier. Wanderings ---- :Over the next several months, Max traveled the country, scouting out Brotherhood bases and prisons and attempting to find the scattered Titans.Calling All Titans, Post #88 His abilities allowed him to move about mostly undetected by enemy forces. He aspired to gather the Titans, take back their homes, and protect the oppressed. :During his wanderings, he was fortunately well-financed--with his parents' own greedy funds. He made it a practice to take small, careful withdrawals from their account, of which he was a cosigner--and remained as such, as they had never thought to take him off. :Max also proved his technological savvy by modifying his Titan Communicator's programming, enabling him to find a safer way to communicate with known active Titans, but also "to send short directed broadcast requests over large distances." Then, "each communicator that was in range would send a directed reply back instead of broadcasting its coordinates on public Teen Titans channels." This proved to be a far safer way of communicating than via normal communicator signals, which Max figured were being monitored by the Brotherhood. Calling All Titans ---- :However, on Max's journey to follow one of these reply signals, he received a second call from the very same communicator... on the normal, insecure Titan channel. As it would turn out, this second signal would prove to be Beastgirl's distress signal, but Max was unaware of this at the time. :Terrified that the person he'd been trying to locate for a day and a half was about to become a Brotherhood prisoner, Max utilized his light-travel powers to race to the scene, prioritizing speed over caution. :Upon arriving, Max immediately recognized Beastgirl due to his knowledge of the Titan profile archives. :Although surprised at his sudden appearance, Beastgirl refused to hand over her communicator. "I'm afraid I can't do that," she explained. "I wanted any and all Titans to hear that signal, you see... even if some Brothers had to hear it, too."Calling All Titans, Post #5 :Her companion, apparently a male civilian, attempted to argue that she leave, but she only shot him a glare. :Max struggled to get Beastgirl to understand the situation, desperate to make sure no more of his fellow Titans die because of her pride. All while they argued, he could feel the enemy was approaching. :Fed up with the exchange, Laura shifted into a cheetah and prepared to attack. She said she could no longer trust anyone unless she knew them personally. :With resignation and righteous indignation, Max assumed his battle stance. Although he had hoped he could get through to her, it really didn't surprise him. After all, she was a Titan who was reportedly "excessively brash, emotional, and impulsive." Although he knew he could use his speed to snatch the communicator from her and reconfigure it by force, it would not be enough for him. Beastgirl had finally outrun his patience. Enraged that she would let her pride get in the way of probably putting more of his fellow Titans in danger, he was ready to fight her to teach her a lesson. :Beastgirl's civilian companion finally fled at her urging as she attacked. But of course, Max's speed proved to be too much for Laura's evasive techniques: he was even able to grab her out of the air when she'd shifted into a red-tailed hawk and then slam her against a tree. All the while, he still tried to talk sense into her, despite his own temper. :All the same, he hated what he was doing. :Suddenly, a Tamaranean woman burst from the trees, starbolts glowing. The Tamaranean warned him to leave Beastgirl alone. At the same time, a man introducing himself as the Titan Kantur appeared on the other side of the clearing. He wore shining plate armor that crackled with electricity from its Tesla coils. :The appearance of the two new Titans gave Max enough time to diffuse the situation as he pulled out his communicator and explained his side of the situation, also adding that he was in the process of "gathering information on the locations of Titans scattered throughout the region," and that he "already had information on two of the Brotherhood's main prisons."Calling All Titans, Post #19 :Fortunately, they believed him. Or at least, the Tamaranean did. Kantur wasn't convinced, and in his vigor to preserve "justice," he accidentally struck a tree with his lightning and set it on fire. :Noting the rising urgency of the situation, the Tamaranean got Kantur to finally stand down, then asked if Max had any water-based powers to extinguish the tree. It was then that Max noticed the Tamaranean's pocket vibrating. He asked her not to answer it yet as he took out his phone. He then pulled out a small cord from the bottom of his phone and hooked it up to a small part in the side of the communicator. With a few pushes of some buttons, he was done. "Now we can communicate with each other without detection by the Brotherhood. You can also use these new configurations to detect any non-encrypted communicator within a decent radius of your position. It's how I found Beast Girl," he explained.Calling All Titans, Post #24 :But he was concerned about whatever transmission the Tamaranean had received. Was it from a friend or foe? He warned her to be ready for anything, as they needed to leave quickly. He then moved to modify Kantur's communicator, as well. While crossing the clearing to Kantur, Max also condensed light into his hands, forming a saber and using it to slice off the burning foliage and stamping it out. :Laura then revealed that it was never truly her intention to summon the other Titans at all--only Luna.Calling All Titans, Post #25 She also revealed to them that, despite Max having demanded her communicator, she couldn't have acquiesced even if she'd wanted to--she no longer had it. :Kantur then began to ask who would be the leader of the newly-reunited Titans, refusing to give Max his communicator or move until a leader was decided. :At last, Beastgirl seemed to see sense. She urged everyone not to waste time, but instead to follow her to a secret Titan hideout, which the Brotherhood still hadn't detected. There they could discuss the issue of who would be leader in safety. :Rynfyre seemed to understand the urgency of the situation, so to appease Kantur, she quickly voted for Laura to be leader. Rynfyre added that Laura had three of the group's five votes, but before Max can object to her faulty math, it was decided that Beastgirl was their new (temporary) leader. Beastgirl then led the way to the secret hideout, a location she said the Brotherhood hadn't discovered yet. :While they traveled, however, Max noticed Beastgirl's injuries. Using his powers of light-speed travel, he sneaked behind her and gently picked her up to carry her in his arms. He was determined to make amends for his previous mistake, even if she attacked him again for helping her. Though Laura was far from pleased about this, Rynfyre's pleading allowed Max to escape her wrath without being gored to death. :Beastgirl guided them to a normal-looking cave. Max put her down at the mouth of the cave, where she stated her codename and requested entrance. It took two tries, but eventually a stalagmite in the cave shifted silently, revealing a narrow staircase. Max immediately picked Beastgirl up to carry her down the staircase. :As soon as Max had reached the last step, she twisted out of his arms and landed, cat-like, in a crouch. She then punched Max as her "thanks." Despite anticipating her punch, Max made no move to avoid it. He would rather take the punishment as atonement for his crimes. Her punch took the wind out of him and dropped him to one knee. :Just then, they heard a voice: :As Beastgirl hugged her cousin, Max berated himself for not realizing the connection sooner. Of course these two animal shape-shifting Logans were related. For the moment, Max lingered in the back of the group, content to observe for a moment. And to give himself a chance to recover his breath. :The normally-playful Beastboy wasn't happy with his cousin. The Titan Founders already knew the distress signal had been from Laura's communicator. Raven and Starfire were currently out patrolling to make sure no Titans fell prey to what could become a dangerous trap. :Laura tried to apologize, but Beastboy pointed out that she'd need to explain the situation to Dick "Nightwing" Grayson. He seemed less than convinced that her excuse to reach Luna was going to be enough to satisfy Nightwing.Calling All Titans,Post #45 Now chastised by her cousin, Laura stumped off, "mumbling about 'overprotective cousins' and 'frickin' rules' and 'not a kid'." It wasn't long before they heard raised voices in the next room. :Seeing Beastboy only exacerbated Max's shame. But he also wanted to treat the Founders with the respect they were due--but he was still having trouble getting up. Beastgirl had a very, very hard punch, and it "had sapped a good portion of his stamina."Calling All Titans, Post #49 As Victor "Cyborg" Stone entered the room and introductions began, Max piped in and asked Rynfyre if she could help him get back onto his feet. She, fortunately, quickly obliged. :Unable to keep it back any longer, Max then confessed that he had sustained well-deserved wounds. The Founders insisted that he shouldn't feel bad, that he probably didn't deserve it. But it was clear that they also were very close to the younger Titan, explaining that she really was a good person, just very emotion-driven. :It was at that moment, of course, that Beastgirl returned to the group. She gave the Founders a hard time for talking about her behind her back, then told the group that Dick "Nightwing" Grayson said they could use the base's conference room to talk further.Calling All Titans, Post #51 She admitted that Nightwing was indeed angry with her, because he had thought her plan was terrible: he would have rather she had used the hideout's computer to send the signal, rather than doing it on her own. :Max still couldn't let himself off the hook. He insisted that he would explain his errors during the debriefing, and that he felt he deserved further punishment. He was still in a lot of pain, however; apparently, Beastgirl had broken one of his ribs. His pain was enough to alert the attention of Rynfyre, who reached out to help him. She urged him not to strain himself and asked if the hideout had an infirmary. :But Max insisted he was fine. He pointed out that they had more important things to do for now. :Cyborg took both and immediately began to tinker with them. Apparently, according to Beastboy, he would be there for a while. Beastboy added that Max could follow Laura to the infirmary after the debriefing. The Founder made it clear that he wanted her to get checked out, openly pointing out her injuries and how Max had carried her inside. Laura was not happy about that, exclaiming that she had no interest in being checked out by DocBot. :In a huff, Beastgirl led the way to the conference room. :Once there, Beastgirl began the discussion on who should really be leader, starting by admitting that she was not the one. :Max echoed Laura's confession, admitting that he had also acted inappropriately. He apologized specifically to Laura. :Both he and Laura nominated Rynfyre as the team leader. While Kantur continued to insist on Beastgirl as leader, he was out-voted by the group. Rynfyre agreed, but on the condition that her companion, Pixel Dunjoo, would serve as a co-leader with her. :Midway through the discussion, Nightwing entered the room. He explained that Starfire and Raven had returned, having found Beastgirl's communicator as well as "a couple of people in uniforms" who "were hanging around the area."Calling All Titans,Post #63 Neither had said that they were attacked, and they had successfully turned off the distress signal. Nightwing then tossed the communicator to Beastgirl, reiterating that she needed to be more cautious, especially now that there were more factions than just the Brotherhood to worry about. He then took his leave. :The interruption brought up another point. Rynfyre asked why Beastgirl had been trying to contact Nightstar. Max assumed this was another Tamaranean companion. :But Laura explained that Luna, AKA "Nightstar," had been her best friend and former Titan partner. "Like Rynfyre said, we were... inseparable. She was my sister in everything but blood, and we were one of the most effective partnerships in Titan history."Calling All Titans,Post #67 Apparently, Luna had left the Titans to return to her home planet of Demmorae a year ago and had stopped all communications with the Titans. When Beastgirl had sent the distress signal, it had been her last attempt to reach out to her old friend... "and it failed, too," Beastgirl ended despondently. :Now that he heard the whole story, Max realized that he had heard of the pair before. Now he had met one of that pair personally, and the stories suddenly held far more weight. :His immediately began analyzing the problem. :Beastgirl pointed out that Cyborg was likely still where they had left him. With Rynfyre and Pixel Dunjoo determined as the new co-leaders, the discussion was effectively over. Beastgirl suggested that they join the Founders, who--from the aroma--were probably having pizza. Initially, she suggested that she would take Max to the infirmary before meeting up with the rest of the group. :But Max figured he was only in for more pain once he told the Founders how Beastgirl had gotten her injuries, so he declined. "What I'm about to attempt," he said in broad terms to keep the group from knowing what he was going to later confess, "will take a significant amount of energy... and I'd rather make one trip less to the infirmary than I really need to."Calling All Titans, Post #71 With that decided, the group met up with the Founders in the kitchen--everyone except Pix and Rynfyre, who broke off from the group. :Max was growing a bit nervous about more than just his inevitable beating at Beastboy's hands. He was worried Cyborg may have cracked through the extra layer of encryption in his communicator's memory. He wanted to show them those files in private. :As they ate, Max asked Cyborg about his idea to contact Nightstar; it involved a new communication technology his team captain, Donald "Reflector" Morris, had told him the Founders were working on. It involved sending information over concentrated beams of infrared radiation. Max was curious if they'd completed the project. :Cyborg was surprised and a little concerned that anyone outside of the Founders knew they were still alive, let alone the technology they were working on. :Nightwing revealed that the project needed some key equipment, which they were hoping they might get from Beastboy's adoptive father, Laura's uncle. :It gave Max hope. "Is the satellite set up to receives such kinds of transmissions and send them back out in the same directed beam? Do we have a relay with which we can send the information?"Calling All Titans, Post #82 Max explained that if they were to finish the project, they would be able to broadcast Titans that were off-planet. :Either way, they needed the equipment from Steve Dayton, but he'd become understandably paranoid. Laura offered to take Max there personally to alleviate any potential mishaps. :The discussion naturally turned to the Brotherhood and Doom Patrol. Max had never heard of the Doom Patrol before, so Laura and the Founders explained more about them. The Titans had considered trying to ally with the Doom Patrol in these difficult times, since they both shared a common enemy in the Brotherhood. The problem was that no one knew where the Doom Patrol's leader or headquarters were. :Max offered a plan to possibly draw he Doom Patrol out, but Raven seemed less than hopeful. "They barely stick around long enough for anyone to say a word to them," she pointed out.Calling All Titans, Post #89 :Beastboy added that the Doom Patrol had probably gotten hold of some important research, mentioning that they had an animal shifter similar to himself and Beastgirl, but unlike with the two of them, the animal shifter was the same color as the Doom Patrol uniform. Beastboy postulated that the shifter in question may have been engineered by the Doom Patrol for such a purpose. :Beastgirl immediately volunteered to investigate, but she'd suddenly gotten in a terrible mood again. She stormed out of the room. :"'... Uh, mommy issues,' Beastboy explained helpfully."Calling All Titans,Post #89 :That Max could relate to. He offered to follow her. Cyborg warned that he wouldn't leave the conversation unscathed. but he said Beastgirl had probably gone into the training room and locked the door behind herself. :With that, Beastboy gave Max the code to the training room. :When he arrived and unlocked the door, he found Beastgirl a bloody, enraged mess in the middle of a crater in the floor. When she turned and saw Max, she demanded to know why he'd followed her. :Max explained that he understood her pain: he hated his parents, too. He then took a first aid kit off the wall and began to tend to one of Laura's arms. "I won't make you say anything you don't want to, Laura..." he added, "but despite my failings, I am here to talk if you need me."Calling All Titans,Post #94 :But Laura didn't want Max's help. She yanked her arm away and tried to warn him one more time that she would hurt him if he got close to her again. "Why couldn't you just let me train myself into exhaustion, Max...?" she demanded. "What have I done to you that made you want to help me, of all people?"Calling All Titans, Post #95 :Max replied that he wanted to help her because he knew from experience that no amount of violence, even if directed at chasing down the Brotherhood, could get rid of the emotions. He also added that she was his friend, and that he owed her since she had granted him a safe place to stay, even after he had attacked her. He then reiterated that he was willing to listen if she wanted to talk. :Laura responded that if she really wanted to talk, it would be with Garfield. She still felt as if Max was little more than a stranger.Calling All Titans, Post #97 She told Max that she would pick him up the next day to take him to visit her Uncle Steve. Then she left. :Max returned to report his unsuccessful attempt to calm Laura down. The Founders then asked him how she had received the wounds in the first place. :Of course he was terrified now that the moment of truth had come, but he forced himself to follow through. But he did ask that they go somewhere private before he explained. They headed into the conference room. :Once the door shut, Max told them everything: how he was the only survivor of Titans North, how Reflector had given him the recording of the battle that destroyed the tower, and how he had spent all this time performing reconnaissance on Brotherhood prisons. He then described how he had tracked Laura's comm signal and gotten into a fight with her, but that the others' arrival had ended the altercation. :Beastboy promptly shifted into a gorilla and punched him in the jaw, sending him flying into the wall. He would have continued, but Cyborg and Raven calmed him down. Instead, Beastboy offered to take Max to the infirmary. :Before they left, however, Max asked one more time about the communication relay technology. Cyborg pointed out that he could potentially hack into the one of the Brotherhood's satellites, but that it would take a day or so. If hacking from the hideout was impossible, they would need to sneak into one of the Brotherhood bases and manually connect a signal from the Brotherhood base to the hideout. They all agreed that if they had to go with Plan B, Max was the one to do it. :As they talked, however, Max suddenly took a turn for the worse. It turned out that Beastboy's strike had burst a blood vessel in Max's brain. He was acutely hemorrhaging. :The Founders brought him to the infirmary, where their medical droid, DocBot, quickly got to work. Max was still conscious, albeit in excruciating pain, but he was fearful for his life. Knowing his communicator possessed information the Founders needed to see, Max tried to gain their attention by dipping his finger in his own blood and writing Clara's name on the table. Then he tried to tell them to use his communicator, but just then DocBot injected him with anesthetic, and he slipped into unconsciousness. :Beastboy was shaken to the core, but the other Founders took him to the conference room, where they plug in Max's communicator. It requests a password, and they input "Clara," unlocking a variety of information, including the footage Max had mentioned he possessed, the security feed of the day Titans North Tower fell. It was enough to spur the Founders to come out of hiding and kick efforts to remobilize the Titans into high-gear, starting with bringing any Titans left at Titans East Tower to the hideout. :Meanwhile, Max had regained consciousness, and DocBot alerted the Founders. Beastboy, Raven, and Starfire made their way to the infirmary, where they were happy to see him quickly recovering. However, Max was still worried about Laura. Now that he was back on his feet, he was determined to visit her at her apartment. :He wouldn't be alone, as it turned out. Rynfyre, Pix, and Kantur had all arrived and insisted they'd accompany him. "I will not get in the way of your attempting to repay Laura," Rynfyre vowed, "But someone must make sure you two do not end up severely injured."Calling All Titans, Post #125 She was only half-joking. But jab or not, Max was grateful for the company as they headed out. List of Character Appearances *Calling All Titans *Laurax Reawoken! Character Also Mentioned In: *ARTICLEMENTIONEDIN Notes Category:Browse Category:Content Category:Characters Category:PCs Category:Teen Titans Category:Earth Category:Humans Category:Invisibility Category:Martial Artists Category:Photomancers Category:Titans Together Category:Mechanics Category:Technology